The Saccharomyces cerevisiae genome project has identified many unknown, hypothetical proteins (EMBO Journal 15, 2031-2049, 1996). These sequences may be a useful starting point for the discovery of biologically important sequences. Using these sequences as research tools to discover essential genes is one of their uses. Discovering and understanding essential genes in pathogenic organisms provides reagents to screen for antipathogen compounds.
Many techniques are available to identify genes which are essential to survival per se, or essential to the establishment/maintenance of an infection. These techniques include, for example, differential display (Chuang et al., J. Bacteriol. 175:2026-2036 (1993)), generation of conditional lethal mutants by transposon mutagenesis (de Lorenzo, V. et al., Gene 123:17-24 (1993); Neuwald, A. F. et al., Gene 125: 69-73(1993); and Takiff, H. E. et al., J. Bacteriol. 174:1544-1553(1992)), and generation of conditional lethal mutants by chemical mutagenesis (Beckwith, J., Methods in Enzymology 204: 3-18(1991)). Certain of these techniques were applied to discover the genetic sequences of the present invention, caYAE1. Clearly, there is a need for factors, such as essential polynucleotide and polypeptides from fungal pathogens, since they may be used to screen compounds for antifungal activity and which may also be used to determine their roles in pathogenesis of infection, dysfunction and disease. There is a need, therefore, for identification and characterization of such factors which can play a role in preventing, ameliorating or correcting infections, dysfunctions or diseases.
The polypeptide of the present invention has amino acid sequence homology to known essential protein YAE1 of Saccharomyces cerevisiae hereinafter referred to as "scYAE1."